The Dark Fae (The World of Fae #1)(34)

“Tsk, tsk. The lady is a snake.” Raglan guided them out of the great hall and down a secret corridor to his father’s throne room. “Your mother will undoubtedly not allow you to keep the lady. But maybe my father will permit me to keep her.”

Alicia humpfed. “I will not be a kept woman.”

The men laughed.

“Most entertaining,” Raglan said. “I knew from the moment I saw her, she was a jewel even when wearing the prison uniform.”

They stepped inside a large chamber decorated in gold and green. Three golden thrones took center stage.

Deveron glanced at Alicia’s gown. He couldn’t deny she appeared beautiful in anything she wore. Even when he had seen her on the beach, covering herself in the baggy T-shirt.

“I’ll have to tell the steward to inform your mother’s guard that the lady escaped earlier in the day. In truth, she had. And I will tell them, though we tried to have the Denkar tracker her follow her, she had no trail, being that she has not yet reached her majority.”

“But then she couldn’t fae transport,” Deveron reminded him.

“I hadn’t thought of that. But Denkar trackers follow fae dust trails, not other kinds of trails. Someone else would have to search for her.”

Raglan walked into an anteroom and began speaking to another man.

Deveron took Alicia’s hand. “I don’t want Raglan to join us.”

“We might need others to help us. If Prince Raglan can convince his father I’m no threat to anyone, maybe I can remain here for a time. Maybe even, he could help me to locate my father.”

“No.”

Her lips parted in surprise. All at once he had an insane overwhelming urge to kiss her. Hell, he was an evil dark fae….or so she said.

He smiled at the notion. So what would an evil dark fae do?

He pressed his lips against hers and pulled her close. “No,” he mouthed against her mouth. “I promised to keep you safe.”

She frowned. “You don’t think Raglan will want to keep me permanently. I’m a fascinating diversion. He’s not really interested in me.”

Ritasia cleared her throat and motioned toward the anteroom with her head.

Raglan stood in the entryway grinning. “Whatever makes you think that, lovely Princess Alicia? Why my father may very well want to make an alliance with your dragon fae kingdom.”

Not if he knew she was half-human, he wouldn’t, Deveron surmised.

“So which princess is your mother?” Raglan asked.

Alicia folded her arms. “Not that she is a princess, mind you, but her name is Viviana.”

Deveron’s heartbeat thundered in his ears.

Ritasia’s skin lost its color.

Raglan grinned. “A very rewarding alliance.”





CHAPTER 17





Alicia twisted a blond curl of hair between her fingers. “All right. Who do you think my mother is?” “Princess Viviana, of the royal kingdom of Morcalon, daughter of the ruling dragon fae, King Tibero. His only child, I might add,” Deveron said.

Alicia looked at Ritasia who nodded. “His only child.”

“Meaning?” Alicia stood straighter, halfway believing Deveron and the others knew what they were talking about, halfway knowing they were mistaken. Her mother was a human, her father the fae.

“I thought maybe your mother might be a niece. King Tibero has six.” Deveron took a ragged breath. “But this changes things.”

“How?” Alicia sat down hard on a cushioned forest green chair. She couldn’t imagine things could get any worse for her.

“You would be the next in line to take the throne.”

“Not when I’m half—”

Deveron’s eyes widened and the rich brown color rapidly darkened.

Alicia closed her mouth, stopping what she almost inadvertently said in front of Raglan.

But Raglan noticed Ritasia’s and Deveron’s concerned expressions. Alicia’s unfinished statement further intrigued the sphinx fae. “Half what?” he prompted. His dark eyes shimmered with fascination.

Deveron came to her rescue. “Her mother left the dragon fae kingdom years ago and for all that time, she has been living in exile…unbeknownst to us.”

Raglan’s brows rose. “Ah. More intrigue. So who did she run off with?”

“That’s what we don’t know. Alicia’s father disappeared twelve years ago.”

Raglan rubbed his chin, then nodded. “So what do we do now?”

Deveron puffed out his chest. “You make up whatever story you need to convince the Denkar escort that the girl has vanished. We will—”

“See my mother.” Alicia raised her chin in obstinacy.

“Not at Crislis Castle,” Deveron said, matter-of-factly. He didn’t appear to be in the mood to change his mind.

“Is that where she would go?” Alicia couldn’t squash the worry that if she did go to the castle as the countess bade her to do, Alicia wouldn’t find her mother. And the dragon fae would not be happy to see Alicia. Would she end up in another dungeon?

“If she wishes help to locate you, I’m sure the princess would to go her father,” Deveron said, after thinking on the question for several seconds.